The Sixers’ comeback magic ran out Friday night.

Despite continuing their early-season trend of storming back into games, the Sixers fell to a 109-108 loss to the Celtics at Xfinity Mobile Arena. Joel Embiid missed a game-winning three-point attempt at the final buzzer. 

The Sixers dropped to 4-1 and Boston improved to 3-3. 

Tyrese Maxey posted 26 points, 14 assists and eight rebounds.

Embiid scored 20 points. Kelly Oubre Jr. added 17 points and nine rebounds. VJ Edgecombe tallied 17 points, five assists and five rebounds.

Celtics star Jaylen Brown had 32 points and six assists.

Friday’s game was the Sixers’ first of the 2025 NBA Cup. Their remaining matchups in East Group B are at the following times: 

Nov. 14 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Pistons

Nov. 25 at 8 p.m. ET vs. Magic 

Nov. 28 at 7:30 p.m. ET at Nets 

The Sixers were without Paul George (left knee surgery recovery), Dominick Barlow (right elbow laceration) and Jared McCain (right thumb surgery recovery). 

The team will start a three-game road trip Sunday night in Brooklyn against the Nets. Here are observations on the Sixers’ loss to Boston:

Leaky early-game defense 

Jabari Walker returned to the Sixers’ starting lineup and scored the team’s first two points on a layup nicely assisted by Embiid late in the shot clock. 

Embiid’s recent offensive excellence continued in the early going. He scored seven of the Sixers’ first nine points, including an and-one leaner and a pick-and-pop three-pointer. 

Defensively, the Sixers had a miserable start. 

Payton Pritchard scored Boston’s first six points, all on mid-range jumpers. He opened 4 for 4 from the floor. Brown was even better, pouring in 16 first-quarter points on 7-for-8 shooting.

The Sixers were porous on the perimeter and the Celtics had ample success in isolation, on drives and on pull-ups. They went up 35-20 late in the first quarter when Derrick White drained two consecutive long-range jumpers. 

Defense has certainly been the Sixers’ worse side of the ball to start this season. On paper, George should provide a significant defensive boost (and more size) once he’s back. 

Comeback eventually starts brewing 

The Sixers didn’t immediately cut into Boston’s lead with the sort of outside shooting spree that had been commonplace over their first four games.

Entering Friday, the Sixers were an NBA-best 41.9 percent from three-point range. They began Friday’s contest 4 for 14 beyond the arc. Especially given the massive early-season minutes load for players like Maxey, some kind of drop-off seemed inevitable.

The Celtics maintained their momentum. Boston’s lead hit 23 points in the second quarter on a catch-and-shoot Pritchard three. It got as high as 24. 

Embiid had a quiet second stint and his minutes restriction remained. He logged a season-high 25. 

With Embiid sitting, the Sixers put together a strong finish to the second quarter. 

Edgecombe scored several self-created buckets. The home crowd enjoyed an Andre Drummond corner three with a little over a minute left in the first half. Oubre’s driving layup with 0.3 seconds to go in the second quarter trimmed the Sixers’ deficit to 68-57. 

Sixers see any situation as winnable

The Sixers were very sharp to start the third quarter, too. 

They posted the first six points of the period and played with great hustle. Embiid had more of a no-nonsense, attacking approach offensively and made a fantastic chase-down block on White, sprinting back hard to deny a fast-break layup.

The Celtics struggled to stop the Sixers’ push and were displeased with the officiating. Brown picked up a technical foul at the 8:04 mark of the third quarter. Less than a minute later, Embiid’s and-one hoop on Neemias Queta pulled the Sixers to within two points. On their next possession, a Maxey floater knotted the game at 72-all. 

Boston prevented the Sixers from grabbing their first lead. Brown scored five straight points. The Sixers were sloppy late in the third quarter with Maxey resting and the Celtics went on a 10-0 run. Maxey ended it soon after stepping on the floor by canning a pull-up three, but the Sixers still entered the fourth quarter with a seven-point deficit.

The Sixers’ energy didn’t lapse early in the fourth. Adem Bona again stood out in that department and added two more blocks. However, the Sixers committed a few costly turnovers. They had a season-high 18 giveaways on the night.

Sixers head coach Nick Nurse saved a final Embiid stretch for the fourth quarter. The big man checked in with 7:26 left.

The Celtics got key threes from Xavier Tillman and Brown and appeared to be in a comfortable spot. The Sixers sure didn’t think the game was over, though. So far, it seems that they view just about any situation as winnable.

Maxey nailed a deep jumper to cut the Celtics’ lead to 108-103. Edgecombe followed by drilling a three off of an Embiid kick-out pass.

On the ensuing possession, Oubre fouled Brown on a mid-range attempt. He split his free throws with 32.9 seconds to go. Maxey then converted a driving layup to make it 109-108.

The Celtics couldn’t execute a clean play and force the Sixers into an intentional foul. Brown turned it over and the Sixers called timeout.

Maxey drove and tossed up a go-ahead runner try, but he missed it long and Josh Minott snagged the rebound. With 3.8 seconds on the clock, he shot 0 for 2 at the foul line. The door stayed open for the Sixers, who used another timeout and got the ball to Quentin Grimes on their inbounds play.

The Celtics swarmed him, so Grimes dished to Embiid and the Sixers watched his jumper hit the back rim.